The concise critics

Red Obsession

What’s it about:
The great chateaux of Bordeaux struggle to accommodate the voracious appetite for their rare, expensive wines, which have become a powerful status symbol in booming China.

What did we think?
Cindy says: A film about the French red wine industry and the growing Chinese thirst for luxury goods? Dry, right? No. Elegant, full-bodied, flamboyant, dense. From the narration by Russell Crowe, whose dulcet tones may have left this viewer vibrating in her seat, to the sweeping views of the vineyards of Bordeaux, it is a delight. The directors have bottled lessons in history, economics, marketing, China’s global reach, and the love of the world’s best red into a beautiful blend. Even this teetotaller is now ready to fork out big bucks to experience whatever is in one of those magical bottles. In the words of one of the Bordelais chateau owners, ‘Our aim shouldn’t be to impress people. We should aim to please people’. And I am pleased to report this film does just that. Santé.